Portable electronic devices may be manufactured from a variety of different materials, including glass, aluminum, stainless steel, and the like. These portable electronic devices may be carried by protective cases to protect the portable electronic devices from shock caused by a drop event. Although recent technological advances have led manufacturers of protective cases to incorporate a variety of different protective materials to protect these portable electronic devices, these different materials are insufficient to fully protect the portable electronic devices under a variety of different circumstances. Therefore, there is a need to utilize active materials that are capable of adapting to these variety of different circumstances.